Pet Health – Burlington Emergency & Veterinary Specialistshttps://bevsvt.com
Mon, 12 Mar 2018 19:39:01 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.4BEVS at Camp Paw Pawhttps://bevsvt.com/2017/bevs-at-camp-paw-paw/
Tue, 22 Aug 2017 14:56:17 +0000http://bevsvt.com/?p=2214Camp Paw Paw is a summer camp put on each summer by the Humane Society of Chittenden County. Each summer campers learn about a variety of topics including: proper pet care, animal safety, homeless animals in the community, animal-related careers, HSCC’s mission, and much more! Each topic is led by professionals in animal—related fields. For the past two years, Dr. Garrett Levin, DACVS has volunteered for the camp to teach children about veterinary medicine. He projected radiographs and asked the students to guess the foreign object, he also took an interactive approach and taught children how to wrap a bandage on a stuffed animals leg. Year after year Dr. Levin has been a fan favorite and we couldn’t be happier to support HSCC in their mission to educate children on the importance of proper pet care!

Dr. Garrett Levin showing the campers how to wrap a leg

]]>Narcan For K-9 Units in Vermonthttps://bevsvt.com/2017/narcank-9vermont/
Wed, 19 Jul 2017 17:34:37 +0000http://bevsvt.com/?p=2188BURLINGTON, Vt. – The president of the Vermont Police Canine Association wants to make sure every K-9 unit in Vermont has access to Narcan, an overdose-reversal drug.

Burlington Sgt. Wade Labrecque says ten years ago, K-9’s were mostly detecting cocaine, a drug that carried its own risks.

“They don’t, unfortunately, have the awareness that we do of the different types of heroin, even the heroin itself can be dangerous not to mention the fentanyl and the carfentanyl as well,” said Sgt. Labrecque. “They can absorb the heroin and the fentanyl through their paws just like we absorb it through our skin.”

Due to training and taking precautions, no Vermont K-9’s have been exposed to those deadly strains, Sgt. Labrecque says.

Burlington police officers have Narcan on hand in case themselves, or their furry partners, accidentally overdose.

If officers do see the signs of overdose, they can administer Narcan, or any other overdose-reversal drug, and then take the K-9 to an animal hospital.

Some veterinarian hospitals already know about fentanyl and the drugs that can be used to reverse overdoses.

“After they fix a fracture or they’ve done chest surgery or abdominal surgery, they’ll get fetanyl afterwards for pain relief,” said Dr. Bryan Harnett, internal medicine specialist, from the Burlington Emergency and Veterinary Specialists, or BEVS, in Williston.

Because fentanyl is administered for medical purposes, the BEVS office has Naloxone on site.

“Out in the field, if you notice that reduction in breathing rate, heart rate diminishing, body temperature going down, becoming less responsive or overly sedated then they could come in and get a dose of Narcan,” said Dr. Harnett. “Occasionally you’ll need to repeat those doses of Narcan so they’d need to be admitted to the hospital and monitored overnight.”

While Burlington officers carry Narcan, Sgt. Labrecque is working with Dr. Paul Howard, of the Vermont Veterinary Surgical Center, to get overdose-reversal drugs for all of Vermont’s K-9 teams.

“Some smaller agencies, it could be somewhat cost prohibitive, but that’s where the Vermont Police K9 Association comes in,” said Sgt. Labrecque.
He says donations to the non-profit could help provide Narcan for every K-9 in the state.

You can donate to the Vermont Police Canine Association specifically for Narcan purchases.

]]>PET INSURANCE: SHOULD I OR SHOULDN’T Ihttps://bevsvt.com/2016/pet-insurance-should-i-or-shouldnt-i/
Fri, 15 Jul 2016 15:00:41 +0000http://bevsvt.com/?p=2011As technology and research advances in the medical field, people today are able to live longer healthier lives. The same is true for the veterinary profession. Veterinarians are able to treat many conditions; however, the costs can be very expensive for some families to manage. Pet insurance plans are designed to help reimburse pet owners some of these costs.

In the United States, where pet insurance has been available since the early 1980s, less than 3 percent of pet owners carry insurance.

Most pet policies cover unexpected and emergent medical and surgical conditions, as well as chronic illnesses, making them a good investment for pet owners. With a variety of plans from which to choose, pet owners can find one that is not only affordable to them, but which also covers their pet’s annual medical needs. Pet health insurance is not only far cheaper than the human medical insurance, but it also lacks the administrative complexity. Instead, pet insurance functions on a reimbursement basis. Policyholders pay for veterinary bills out of pocket and are reimbursed by the insurance company upon submitting claims after treatment has been performed.

When evaluating pet insurance companies and policies, pet owners are advised to apply the same scrutiny they would to any other insurance policy:

Compare coverage to actual and probable needs given the animal’s breed and its associated health risks.

Understand the costs. Each company has a slightly different cost structure in terms of co-payments, premiums, deductibles, reimbursement percentage and annual and lifetime limits. Verify whether the premiums remain the same throughout the life of the pet or increase with age.

Know the coverage limits and exclusions. Different insurance companies apply different exclusions. The list of policy exclusions must be reasonable to meet your individual needs. Pre-existing conditions are never covered.

Broad coverage. The policy must cover all illnesses, accidents, surgeries, cancers, catastrophic situations, chronic diseases, advanced testing, medications and hospital stays. This should include congenital and hereditary conditions, because some of these problems only become evident as the pet ages.

Avoid benefit schedules. Choose a policy that reimburses a flat percentage of the bill (percentage of invoice), not an amount preset by the insurer based on a fee schedule (percentage approved). Benefit schedules preset by the insurer (percentage approved) pay pennies on the dollar.

Avoid policies that specifically only cover “reasonable,” “usual” or “customary” charges. Policies won’t guarantee the actual charges will be fully covered using this terminology.

Be able to choose your veterinarian and seek the care of specialists at your discretion.

Consider your pet’s age and breed. There may be other factors taken into consideration as well, including where you live and whether your pet lives indoors or outdoors.

Check with other pet owners you know that have pet insurance and with your regular veterinarian for recommendations and personal experiences.

No matter the size, our pets are members of our families and we want our furry family members to live long and healthy lives. One of the best ways to ensure this happens is by investing in a pet insurance policy. Having pet insurance can make doing so that much easier.